Lean Manufacturing

Lean manufacturing is defined as a systematic approach to reduce and eliminate waste in the assemble line at the time of manufacturing products. It involves continuous improvementwith the help of process reviews to reduce costs by means of doing it right at the first time. The basic principles of lean company will be.

Less processing time

Zero waiting time

Zero inventory

lean manufacturing goal is to reduce or eliminate the wastes of the following items:

Underutilized workforce

More processing time

Over production

Inventory

Transportation delays

Product/material defects

Space

Moneyetc.,

In simple words, lean manufacturing eliminates waste by means of identifying non-value added activities which leads to poor product quality in the production process that will not be able to meet the customer's expectations in the market place.

The following are the activities lead to poor qualities in lean production processes such as:

Material loss due to damage in transportation

Reduplication of work handled

Loss in storage

Breakdowns of machines

Loss in inspection

Lack of process capability and inefficiencies

Processing time loss

Lack of communication among different operators under shift systems etc.,

Components in lean manufacturing :

Production/assemble line tools that balance the daily production time with respect to demand

Gantt chartprovides the allocation of tasks among the operators and has a provision to document works and inspection involved in the assembly line

Kanban - order cardthat follows the pull system of material replenishment and contact with suppliers to refill the actual demand of the materials required from the suppliers

Demand smoothing tool that helps the production managers to predict the daily production based on the customer demand in match with the suitable resources being needed at the production line

Maintain proper inventory level so finished goods in the warehouse

Lean Manufacturing Challenges :

possible challenges being faced in lean manufacturing environment such as:

Systems integration issues during ERP/MRP implementation

Poor inventory level

Untimely shipments

Material rejections from the supplier end

Production issues

Rework

Customer returns

Warranty issues

In appropriate lean manufacturing systems implemented

In efficiency in scheduling

Benefits of lean manufacturing :

The potential benefits of lean manufacturing :

Defect reduction in products

Better on time delivery

Reduction in manufacturing floor space

Better inventory turn over

Better improvement in supplier relationship

Lean Office:

Since lean has its deep roots in manufacturing sector, but its importance been highlighted in different type of organizations and industries.

Globally, the presence of service sector is at rapid pace, the importance and application of lean principles in those service industries has been successful in achieving the following

Reducing materials waste

Utilizing employee productive hours

Maximizing output efforts

There are potential benefits of running a office with lean principles. This quality management toolhas playing a vital role to improve the employee efficiency and cost effectiveness factors. The following are the key improvements in running a .

Better efficiency

Process simplification

Cost reduction leads to cost savings

Better customer relationship and response

Standardizing the relevant procedures to run a office

Knowledge enhancement

Reduction in waste

Case Study - Toyota Production Systems - Lean manufacturing:

Lean is a quality management tool that has been developed by Toyota for its production of cars worldwide. It has developed the concept of Lean at the start of the 20th century and focused on a tool based approach to reduce and eliminate waste in the production processes. Toyota Production System (TPS) has followed and implemented Lean concept which made Toyota to be the world's largest car makers from a small car maker in a short run.